Apparatus for supporting and transferring reels of wire for continuous unreeling of the wire



Dec. 8,' 1959 B. F. BACHUS ET AL 2,916,229

APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING AND TRANSFERRING REELS 0F WIRE FOR CONTINUOUS UNREELING OF THE WIRE Filed Aug. 30, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 A W A1; 5% 32 Dec. 8,1959 B. F. BACHUS ET AL 2,916,229 APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING AND TRANSFERRING REELS OF WIRE FOR CONTINUOUS UNREELING OF THE'WIRE Filed Aug. 30, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 m/vs/v TORS B. F 5667/05 Fl TIGER/9L D B) a g'fi' a mm T d \m 3 W w n mm a A R a. WDQR in Q 9v mm em 3 mm mm R Q M \Q mm 0 l I .llll l. v A A AN Q w N.m h MS 7 02 Q I b m" m Q A W m 1 Q *9 v N W A R 3 mm A 8 n l U m a E a h u MQ p A A n m mm mm 1 m w% on w R..- k w. o o A o g wu mw 3v N mw v mvkw $9 ow mv an fi m 6. 3 m

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1959 a. F. BACHUS T AL APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING AND TRANSFERRIN WIRE FOR CONTINUOUS UNREELING' OF THE WIRE Filed Aug. 50, 1955 v 9 .s 2 a 2 m 6 s 1 P WF t 2 e e s h s E 3, R G

United States Patent @fiice 2,916,229 Patented Dec. 8, 1959 APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING AND TRANSFER- RING REELS F WIRE FOR CONTINUOUS UN- REELING OF THE WIRE Benson F. Bachus, Westchester, and Thomas C. Fitzgerald, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application August 30, 1955, Serial No. 531,445

Claims. (Cl. 242-128) This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for supporting and transferring reels of strand for con: tinuous unwinding of the strand therefrom and more particularly to a device for supporting a plurality of reels of wire in a compact arrangement and for facilitating the loading of full reels of wire thereon and the removal of empty reels therefrom while the wires are continuously being unwound from the reels.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved method of and device for supporting and transferring reels of strand for continuous unwinding of the strand therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of and a device for efliciently supporting a plurality of reels of strand in a small space while the strand is being continuously unwound therefrom and permitting full reels of strand to be readily added thereto and empty reels removed therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for supporting reels of. strand at one level for the unwinding of the strand therefrom and for removing the empty reels therefrom at a different level.

A method illustrating certain features of the invention may include supporting a plurality of reels at a predetermined level in stations arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows and with four stations in each transverse row including two outer stations at the ends of the row and two inner stations between the outer stations, unwinding the strands individually from the reels at the inner stations, connecting the trailing ends of the strands of the reels at the inner stations to the leading ends of the strands of the reels adjacent thereto in the outer stations, lowering the reels from said predetermined level at the inner stations and removing them after the strands have been unwound therefrom and the unwinding of the strand has been transferred to the reels at the outer stations, transferring the reels of strand from the outer stations to the inner stations, placing reels of strand in the outer stations, and repeating the steps of interconnecting the strands between adjacent reels at the Outer and the inner stations, lowering and removing the reels when empty from the inner stations, transferring the reels from the outer stations to the inner stations, and placing the reels of strand in the outer stations.

An apparatus illustrating certain features of the invention may include means forming a plurality of stations arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows for receiving reels of strand therein and with four stations in each transverse row including two outer stations at the ends of the transverse row and two inner stations between the other stations, a stationary platform at each of the outer stations for supporting reels of strand thereon at a predetermined upper level, a movable platform at each of the inner stations for supporting a reel of strand thereon at said upper level, and actuators for moving the movable platforms individually at the inner stations to lower the reels thereon when emtpy to permit their removal at a lower level.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a plurality of reel supporting and transferring devices;

Fig. 2 is an end View of the reel supporting and transferring devices shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a latching element of the device shown in separated relation to other parts thereof;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a portion of the device;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the device taken along line 55 of Fig. 4;

Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged vertical transverse sectional views through one sub-unit of the "evice taken along lines 66 and 7-7 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a portion of the device showing the mechanism for latchinga reel supporting platform in elevated position; and

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse sectional view of the latching mechanism taken along line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

The present reel supporting and transferring device 20 is designed to support a plurality of reels 21 of strand 22 at a plurality of unwinding stations for supplying a plurality of continuous strands of wire which are to be processed, as for example, in a pulp machine (not shown) for applying a coating of pulp insulation thereon. The stations are arranged in longitudinal and in transverse rows with four stations in each transverse row including outer stations 25 at the ends of the transverse rows and inner stations 27 between the outer stations. The outer stations 25 extending longitudinally along opposite sides of the device 20 are accessible from aisles 28 which separate the device 20 from other of the same devices.

The device 20 has a frame 30 comprising a pair of L- shaped side frame members 31 supported by a plurality of vertical legs 32 in parallel and spaced relation to each other and at a predetermined level above a base or floor 33. A plurality of elongated transverse frame plates 36 extend horizontally between the side frame members 31 and are secured thereto in predetermined spaced relation to each other to form side frames for each transverse row of stations which form sub-units 37 of the device. The frame plates 36 of each sub-unit 37 are connected together by centrally disposed cross frame members 38 (Figs. 4 and 5) and a pair of cross frame members 39 disposed parallel to and intermediate the frame members 3S and the longitudinal frame members 31, and the frame members 36 of adjacent sub-units 37 are secured together in spaced relation to each other by spacers 41.

A pair of stationary platforms 46 (Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 5) are provided in the outer stations 25 of each subunit 37 for supporting a pair of reels 21 thereon and a pair of vertically movable platforms 48 are provided at the inner stations 27 for supporting a pair of reels thereon. The movable platforms 48 are mounted on the ends of piston rods 52 of pistons 53 reciprocable in cylinders 54 of pneumatic actuators mounted in the base 33 below the floor level. Compressed air is supplied to the bottom of the cylinders 54 through pipe lines 56 under control of valves 57 mounted on the side frame members 31 at each end of the sub-unit 37 to raise the movable platforms 48 individually from a lower position as indicated at the left in Fig. 5 to an upper level slightly above the position of the stationary platforms 46 as shown to the right in the same figure. With a movable platform 48 raised to its uppermost position a pair of latching elements 60 (Figs. 3, 7, 8, and 9) movably mounted on the frame plates 36 on opposite sides of the movable platform, are actuated to operative positions in the path of movement of the platform, after which the air is released from the cylinders 54 by actuation of the valve 57 and the platform is lowered onto the latching elements 60 and is supported thereby at a predetermined elevation in horizontal alignment with the stationary platforms 46. After the wire has been unwound from a reel at an inner station 27 the movable platform 48 with the empty reel thereon may be lowered to floor level and the empty reel removed therefrom.

Each of the movable platforms comprises a frame including a center cross frame 63 secured to the upper end of the piston rod 52, a pair of side frame members 64 secured to the ends of the cross frame 63 and a pair of angle iron end frame members 65 and 66. Rollers 68 are rotatably mounted on each of the movable platform frames to support a reel 21 thereon on end and to aid in sliding a full reel of wire, which weighs approximately 400 pounds, from the stationary platform onto the movable platform. A vertically disposed flat guide bar 70 secured to the cross frame member 38 of each sub-unit 37 and to the base 33 engage in slots 71 in the horizontally disposed flanges of the end frame members 65 of the movable platforms 48 and serve to prevent rotation of the movable platforms about the axis of the rods 52 during vertical movement thereof. The stationary platforms 46 have a plurality of rollers 75 for supporting reels thereon on end and for aiding in sliding full reels onto and off of the platforms. The rollers 75 are rotatably mounted on shafts 76 which are supported in auxiliary frame members 77 fixed to the frame plates 36.

The latching elements 60 for holding the movable platforms 48 in their upper positions are in the form of horizontally disposed short sections of channel iron with the flanges 78 extending upwardly and welded to the ends of arms 79. The latching elements are mounted for sliding movement on horizontally disposed cam plates 80 which are positioned between pairs of adjacent frame plates 36 on opposite sides of the movable platforms and are secured to the flanges of a U-shaped spacer member 81 welded to the frame plates 36. Downwardly extending cam followers 82 on the latching elements 60 ride in angularly disposed cam grooves 83 in the cam plates 80 and cooperate therewith to move the pairs of cooperating latching elements divergingly towards each other from a normal retracted position to an operative position in response to actuation of the arms 79. In their operative positions the latching elements 60 extend through slots 84 in the frame plates 36 into the path of movement of the movable platform and are engageable with lugs 86 formed on the end of the frame member 63 to support the movable platform when it is lowered thereon. The upwardly directed flanges 78 on the latching elements 60 are positioned on opposite sides of the lugs 86 on the movable platform and prevent longitudinal movement of the latching elements while the movable platform is supported thereon.

The end portions of the arms 79 extend upwardly from the latching elements in engagement with the frame plates 36 when the latching elements are in their operative position and serve to prevent tilting movement of the latching elements 60 while they support the platform thereon. The other end of the arms 79 are pivotally connected to a pair of levers 89 which are secured at their lower ends to a shaft 90. The shaft 90 is rotatably supported in the frame plates 36 and serves to connect the levers 89 and the latching elements 60 for simultaneous actuation in response to manual operation of one of the levers 89 which has a handle 91 thereon.

When it is desired to lower an empty reel at one of the inner stations, the propor control valve 57 is operated to raise the movable platform off of the latching elements 60, after which the lever 89 is actuated to retract the latching elements, whereupon the valve 57 is released to allow the air to escape from the cylinder 54 and cause the movable platform with the empty reel thereon to be lowered to floor level as shown in the lefthand portion of Fig. 5 and permit the operator to engage the empty reel with a hook and slide it off of the movable platform and onto the floor and remove it. During the downward movement of the movable platform the reel head is held against displacement in one direction by the vertically disposed guide bar 70 and in the opposite direction by a stop 92 on the movable platform. The stop 92 is in the form of a bar which is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends at 93 to the frame member 66 and is weighted on one end to move the bar 92 to a normal position with the other end thereof disposed above the upper surface of the rollers 68 in the path of movement of the lower head of the reel 21. Stops 94 and 95 (Figs. 4-6) are also provided on each of the stationary platforms to limit the movement of the reel thereon during the raising and lowering of the movable platform. The stop 94 is in the form of a bar which is pivoted intermediate its ends at 96 to the cross frame 39 and has a weighted end for holding it in a normal position with the other end thereof extending upwardly in the path of the reel head for stopping the movement of the reel in one direction. The stop bar 94 is movable to a retracted position by a cam 97 mounted on a shaft 98 which is supported in the frame members 39 and 31 and has a handle 99 for actuating the cam to effect the movement of the stop bar 94 to and from operative and retracted positions. A laterally projecting lip 100 on the end portion of the stop bar 94 overlies a pin 101 fixed to the stop bar 92 on the movable platform and serves to move the stop bar 92 to its retracted position when the stop bar 94 is moved to its retracted position to permit the transfer of a reel from the stationary platform at the outer station onto the movable platform at the inner station. The stop 95 is in the form of a plate pivotally mounted for turning movement about a pin 103 to the operative position (Fig. 4) disposed in the path of movement of the head of the reel and an inoperative position (not shown) in which it is disposed below the supporting surface of the stationary platform 46 and the upper edge of the longitudinal frame member 31. A pin 104 supports the stop plate 95 in its operative position.

In the operation of the reel supporting and transferring device a plurality of reels of wire are placed on a movable truck 105 (Figs. 1 and 2) which is supported on the floor 33 and has a horizontal top surface for supporting a plurality of reels at the same elevation as the stationary platforms 46 of the device. The truck with the reels of wire thereon is pushed along the aisles 28 to the various outer stations and the reels are transferred therefrom onto the stationary platforms at the outer stations of the device and then the reels are transferred to the movable platform at the inner stations, the movable platforms being supported in their normal upper operative positions. The transfer of the reels is accomplished by pushing and sliding the reels from one position to another. After the reels of wire have been loaded onto all of the inner unwinding stations, flyers 107 (Fig. 2) are applied to the upper heads of the reels. The wires are then unwound from the reels at the inner stations and are tensioned by the flyers as they move upwardly through suitable guide means 108 and are directed therefrom into a pulp machine (not shown) for processing the wires. The guide means 108, which is provided above each pair of adjacent inner and outer stations is supported on the ends of cross arms 109 which are supported on standards 110 secured to the frame members 36. As the wires are being unwound from the reels at the inner stations reels of strand are loaded onto the stationary platforms 46 at the outer stations 25 and the operator then bonds the trailing end of the wire of each of the reels at the inner stations to the leading end of the wire of each of the reels at the outer stations. When the wires are unwound from the reels at the inner stations they automatically start unwinding from the reels at the outer stations and the empty reels may then be removed from the inner stations.

To remove an empty reel from an inner station the operator actuates the valve 57 associated with the station to raise the movable platform and the empty reel thereon upwardly off of the latching elements 60 to enable the latching elements to be retracted by manual actuation of the lever 89, after which the valve 57 is released and the movable platform with the empty reel thereon is lowered to floor level. As the movable platform is lowered the stop bar 92 is in its operative position, and as the movable platform approaches its lowermost position, the lower end of the stop bar 92 is engaged by the floor 33 and moved thereby to its retracted position permitting the operator to remove the empty reel by engaging it with a hook and pulling it off of the platform and away from the device 20 at a level below the stationary platforms and the reels 21 being unwound. The valve 57 is then actuated to cause the movable platform to be raised to its uppermost position, the lever 89 is then operated to actuate the latching elements 60 to their operative positions beneath the lugs 86 of the movable platform, after which the valve 57 is released, allowing the movable platform to be lowered into engagement with the latching elements and be supported thereby at the same level with the stationary platform. The handle 99 may then be actuated to move the stop bars 92 and 94 to their retracted positions, after which the reel on the stationary platform in the outer station is pushed onto the movable platform at the inner station and the lever 99 again operated to return the stop bars 92 and 94 to their operative positions.

The reel transporting truck 105 is then moved to position a reel of wire adjacent to the empty outer station, and the stop plate 95 is turned to its lower position, and the reel is pushed from the truck onto the stationary platform, after which the stop plate 95 is turned to its upper position to retain the reel thereon. The step of bonding the trailing end of the wire on the reel being unwound at the inner station to the leading end of the wire of the reel at the outer station is then repeated in sequence with the other steps hereinabove described to provide supplies of continuous wires for continuous feeding movement into an apparatus for processing them.

From the above description it will be seen that a reel supporting and transferring device is provided having a plurality of sub-units for supporting four reels of wire in a row transversely of the aisles 28 at a predetermined level above the floor and with the outer or loading stations positioned along the aisles for receiving reels of wire and with the inner or unloading stations spaced from and inaccessible to the aisles, and that means are provided at the inner stations for lowering the reels when empty and removing them from the device at a level below that at which the reels are being unwound, whereby successive reels of wire may be loaded onto the outer stations, the wires on the reels at the inner and adjacent outer stations bonded together, the reels at the inner stations lowered and removed when empty, and the reels of wire transferred from the outer stations to the inner stations as steps of repetitive cycles of op- 6 combination of a stationary platform for supporting a reel thereon, a movable platform positioned adjacent said stationary platform for supporting a reel thereon, a frame for supporting said stationary platform at a predetermined level and having a pair of frame members disposed on opposite sides of said movable platform, actuating means for raising and lowering the movable platform to and from an upper position above said stationary platform and a lower position for lowering empty reels and permitting their removal from the movable platform below said stationary platform, a pair of latching elements mounted on said frame members for movement towards each other from a normal retracted position to an operative position in the path of movement of said movable platform for supporting it at said predetermined level, means for moving said latching elements to and from said retracted and said operative positions, and means on said latching elements and on said movable platform forming an interlocking connection therebetween permitting movement of the movable platform into engagement with the latching elements and preventing movement of the latching elements from their operative position while the movable platform is in engagement therewith.

2. In a device for supporting and transferring reels of strand while the strand is being unwound therefrom, the combination of a stationary platform for supporting a reel thereon, a movable platform positioned adjacent said stationary platform for supporting a reel thereon, a frame for supporting said stationary platform at a predetermined level and having a pair of frame members disposed on opposite sides of said movable platform, actuating means for raising and lowering the movable platform to and from an upper position above said stationary platform and a lower position for lowering empty reels and permitting their removal from the movable platform at a level below said stationary platform, a pair of latching plates mounted on said frame members for movement towards each other from a normal retracted position to an operative position in the path of movement of said movable platform for supporting it at said predetermined level, and means for moving said latching plate to and from said retracted and said operative positions.

3. In a device for supporting and transferring reels of strand while the strand is being unwound therefrom, the combination of a stationary platform for supporting a reel of wire thereon, a movable platform positioned adjacent said stationary platform for supporting a reel of wire thereon, a frame for supporting said stationary platform at a predetermined level and having a pair of frame members disposed on opposite sides of said movable platform, actuating means for raising and lowering the movable platform to and from an upper position slightly above said stationary platform and a lower position below said stationary platform for lowering empty reels and permitting their removal below said stationary platform, said frame members having vertical portions provided with slots and having horizontal portions provided with obliquely disposed camgrooves, a pair of horizontally disposed latching plates slidably mounted on the horizontal portions of said frame members and extending through the slots in the vertical portions thereof, cam followers on said latching plates disposed in said cam grooves, said latching plates being movable longitudinally on said frame members in one direction to effect lateral movement thereof towards each other to an operative position in the path of movement of the movable platform for supporting it at said predetermined level, said latching plates being movable longitudinally in the opposite direction to effect lateral movement thereof away from each other to an inoperative position out of the path of said movable platform, said latching plates having vertically disposed portions engageable with said vertical portions of the frame members for preventing tilting movement of said latching plates when said latching plates are in their operative position, and means for longitudinally moving the latching plates to and from said operative and inoperative positions.

4. In a device for supporting and transferring reels of strand while the strand is being unwound therefrom, the combination of a stationary platform for supporting a reel thereon, a movable platform positioned adjacent said stationary platform for supporting a reel thereon, a frame for supporting said stationary platform at a predetermined level for movement of a reel thereunder and having frame members disposed on opposite sides of the stationary and the movable platforms, pneumatic actuating means for moving the movable platform and an empty reel thereon from said predetermined level to a lower position for removal of the empty reel in a path passing under the stationary platform, latching elements mounted on said frame members for engaging and supporting the movable platform in its upper position, and means for actuating said latching elements into and out of engagement with said movable platform.

5. In a device for supporting and transferring reels of strand while the strand is being unwound therefrom, the

combination of a base,'-a pair of stationary platforms and a pair of movable platforms for supporting-reels thereon arranged in a row with the stationary platforms at the ends thereof, a frame on said base for supporting said stationary platforms at a predetermined level for movement of reels thereunder and having frame members disposed on opposite sides of the stationary and the movable platforms, actuating means for raising and lowering the movable platform to and from said predetermined level and the base for lowering empty reels and permitting their removal in paths passing under the stationary platforms, latching elements mounted on said frame members for engaging and supporting the movable platforms at said predetermined level, and means for actuating said latching elements into and out of engagement with the movable platforms.

St. Clair et al Sept. 16, 1930 Hanson Apr. 24, 1934 

